The present invention is directed toward the combination of a mop head and handle and more particularly, toward such a combination that allows the handle to be easily and quickly attached to or detached from the mop head and which allows the handle to be moved relative to the head so that the head can be easily moved about a floor or other surface being mopped. In addition, the mop head can be fitted with a towel or towel-like material for mopping a floor.
Mops have, of course, been around for a very long time. For many years, the only mops that were available were essentially string or rope mops that included an elongated handle with a head with numerous strings or ropes hanging therefrom. Such mops were and are used with a bucket having a wringer attached to the top thereof. After a section of the floor is mopped, the mop is rinsed in the bucket of water or cleaning solution and wrung dry with the wringer. Such mops, buckets and ringers are shown, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 5,440,778.
While such rope or string mops provide some function, they do suffer from numerous deficiencies. First, they are somewhat difficult to maneuver and they require substantial dexterity to simultaneously operate the wringer while lifting the mop through the wringer. Even further, the bucket of water simply gets dirty very quickly whereby dirty water is then being put back onto the floor.
Sponge mops with built-in wringers such as shown in U.S. Pat. No. 3,014,230 have also been known for some time. These mops include an elongated handle with a rectangular sponge affixed to one end with a pressure plate pivoted to the device that can compress the sponge to squeeze dirty water therefrom. The sponge on such sponge mops, however, is relatively small and the handle is fixed thereto so that it can move in only one direction.
It has also been proposed to provide a block of foam material with an opening through the center thereof into which a handle can be inserted. Such sponge mops are shown, for example, in U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,691,788 and 2,694,213. In these arrangements, however, the handle is fixed and cannot move relative to the mop. Furthermore, the mop must be tied to the handle in order to secure the same in place.
It is sometimes also desirable to simply push water or other liquid off the floor or other horizontal surface without actually mopping the same up. Such devices are commonly referred to as “squeegees” and one such device is shown, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 4,386,443.
To Applicant's knowledge, there is no device available that adequately functions as a squeegee and a mop that allows the mopping material to be easily and quickly removed from the mop for cleaning and which allows the mop head to be easily removed from the handle for cleaning or replacement, when necessary. There is, therefore, a need for such an apparatus.